All signs “literally” point to “Walt Disney World 50 The World’s Most Magical Celebration” beginning in just over a week and potentially continuing until the 100th anniversary. While we can’t do much on the specific touring timing front, given current low crowd levels and the lack of the Genie app, we can consider how we might go about the day and enjoy a walk around the Park.

One key to future touring is Early Theme Park Entry, which does have a specific start date of October 1st. We’ve gone over this several times, but here’s the current list of eligible resorts:

Continue reading “Preparing for Genie+, Fall Crowds, and Waits at Disney’s Animal Kingdom”

Nothing in focus. Very artsy.

Food:

• Crispy Barbecue Pork Rinds with Pimento Cheese – $4.75
• Roasted Porchetta with Pork-fat Roasted Rosemary Potatoes and Lemon-Parsley Salsa Verde – $6.25
• Soy-glazed Sticky Ribs with Green Onions and Peanuts – $7
• Crispy Pig Ear Salad with Fire Roasted Tomatillo Sauce, Pickled Red Onions, Queso Fresco, Roasted Corn Salsa, and Avocado Cream $5.25

Continue reading “Review: The Swanky Saucy Swine Epcot Food and Wine”

We continue from China.

Mexico returns in the same location. It’s not actually at the top of the pyramid no matter what your friends tell you.

Food:

• Chilaquiles con Chorizo: Crispy Corn Tortillas tossed in Salsa Verde and Monterey Jack Cheese topped with Crema Mexicana, Queso Cotija, Pickled Onions, and Ground Chorizo – $7
• Taco de Ribeye: Shaved Ribeye, Red Onions, and Poblano Peppers on a Corn Tortilla with Ranchera Salsa, Cotija Cheese, and Chives – $7
• Capirotada de Chocolate: Abuelita Chocolate Bread Pudding served with a Chocolate Crème Anglaise – $5.50

Beverages

• Mexican Craft Beer: Tulum Artisanal Lager crafted with Citrus notes and made with Mexican Caribbean Seawater – 6 ounces – $5 / 12 ounces –  $9.50
• El Tigre Margarita: Ojo de Tigre Mezcal with Pomegranate, Prickly Pear, Pineapple, and Ginger Juices served on the rocks with a Hibiscus Salt Rim – $11.50
• La Clásica Reyes Margarita: Centinela Blanco Tequila, Ancho Reyes Chile Liqueur, Abasolo Corn Whiskey, Lime Juice, and Agave Nectar served on the rocks with a Chile Piquín Salt Rim – $11
• White Passion Fruit Sangria: White Wine, Chinola Passion Fruit Liqueur, and a hint of Ilegal Mezcal  – $10

Italy is to Mexico what is pain to my pocketbook, in that they never offer anything a second time, as you’d have to be half way to senility to order anything here at two consecutive Festivals, let alone 40. Remember the golden rule: You have a choice. I don’t. Hey, the menu is only $65.50 worth, or approximately half an individual pizza at Via Napoili with 14 toppings.

Continue reading “Review: Mexico Epcot Food and Wine Festival”

We’ll take a look at wait times over the last couple of weeks, check if Magic Kingdom is more or less crowded on Boo Bash After Hours dates, see about the best plan of attack for those attending the Boo Bash, and consider alternatives like the Early Entry and Extended Hours beginning in October.

Below is a chart of the average daily waits at Magic Kingdom over the last three weeks, organized by whether or not a Boo Bash is scheduled that day. The numbers only take into account waits during regular hours across our usual 17 attractions, since we’re interested in whether or not we need to avoid or hone in on Boo Bash dates for being more or less crowded:

The results, with event days and non-event days seeing nearly identical average waits, aren’t particularly surprising. Both types of days offer similar or the same operating hours and nightly showings of the fireworks. It’s likely that most guests visiting during the day have no idea whether or not a Boo Bash is scheduled, or at least wouldn’t identify it as a day to avoid given the fact that the offerings are the same.

Continue reading “Disney World Wait Times Update, Boo Bash Versus Not to Boo Bash, Early Entry, and Extended Hours”

In between posts with a lot of words, we return to an early morning visit to Magic Kingdom from earlier this summer. With so many changes coming up in the following four to six weeks, with Early Entry, Extended Hours, and Genie+/- all expected to launch by the first week in October, there isn’t much use in discussing touring strategy now, since there will be no way to replicate the current climate in just over a month’s time. That’s particularly true with current crowds at their lowest levels of the year. We’ll take a closer look when we get to Boo Bash versus Early Entry versus Extended Hours versus Disney Genie in what promises to be an obscenely lengthy discussion. Soon enough. Florida is diverting my oxygen too.

For a whole lot more on the wait time trends we’ve encountered at Magic Kingdom recently, see this post, with a lot of charts and graphs. For initial thoughts on how Disney Genie may transform your experience in the theme parks, see this post. And for the first Part of this series, which started even more irrelevantly in Frontierland with Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain, see this post.

Continue reading “An Irrelevant Visit to Adventureland at Magic Kingdom”